U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,646 to Simic-Glavaski et al. (hereinafter Simic-Glavaski), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses that the ingestion of externally generated oxidative products such as food cooked by a thermal process may be carcinogenic or promoters for cardiovascular problems. When food is cooked by a thermal process it may tend to have a carcinogenic effect due-to the depletion of electrons in the food. It is known that the food is depleted of electrons during a cooking process due to thermal excitation and oxidation.
Additionally, the adventitious formation of the potential cancer-causing agent acrylamide in a variety of foods during cooking has raised much concern. Acrylamide is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics. Additionally, acrylamide may cause nerve damage.
Acrylamide forms in certain foods cooked at temperatures at or above 120° C. For example, acrylamide, develops in potato chips, french fries, bread and processed cereals cooked at or above 120° C. Levels of acrylamide in certain starch-based foods, such as potato chips, french fries, cookies, cereals and bread, are above the recommended levels in the World Health Organization's Guidelines Values for Drinking Water Quality.
Deep fried french fries, such as those cooked at fast-food establishments, showed the highest levels of acrylamide among the foods tested by the Center for Science in the Pubic Interest (CSPI). For example, large orders of french fries tested by the CSPI contained an amount of acrylamide between about 39 to about 82 micrograms. Further, the amount of acrylamide in a large order of fast-food french fries is at least 300 times more than what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows in a glass of water.
Other foods tested by CSPI include one-ounce portions of Pringles potato chips which contained about 25 micrograms. Corn-based Fritos and Tositos contained half that amount or less. Regular and Honey Nut Cheerios contained between about 6 or 7 micrograms of acrylamide.
One possible way acrylamide forms in potatoes and cereals is by the Maillard reaction as reported recently in Nature (see, for example, D. S. Mottram, B. L. Wedzicha and A. T. Dodson, Nature, Volume 419, 3 Oct. 2002, www.nature.com/nature, page 448 and R. H. Stadler, I. Blank, N. Varga, F. Robert, J. Hau, P. A. Guy, M. Robert and S. Riediker, Nature, Volume 419, 3 Oct. 2002, page 449). Products of the Maillard reaction are responsible for flavor and color generated during cooking.
An important associated reaction is the degradation of amino acids to form aldehydes. Asparagine, a major amino acid component (940 mg kg−1, representing 40% of the total amino acid content in potatoes), reacts with glucose at temperatures above 120° C. to form significant quantities of acrylamide. For example, a reaction between an equimolar mixture of asparagine and glucose at 185° C. in a phosphate buffer produces about 221 milligrams of acrylamide per mol of amino acid. The same reaction without any solution (dry mixture) produces about 25 milligrams of acrylamide per mol of amino acid.
The reaction kinetics show a strong dependence on temperature. Peak acrylamide formation for an equimolar mixture of asparagine and glucose in a phosphate buffer is observed at 170° C. About 420 milligrams per mol of amino acid is produced. At 150° C. and 185° C., the amount of acrylamide is in a range of about 220 milligrams.
While temperature and the presence of a buffer solution are important reaction parameters, time is also important.
Thus, aldehydes and aminoketones may act as precursors in the acrylamide formation. Therefore, reduction or elimination of these precursors will inhibit and/or reduce the formation of acrylamide in food.
Simic-Glavaski discloses by adding electrons to food that is in a cooking vessel or in contact with a grill carcinogenic effect or promoters for cardiovascular problems can be reduced. Simic-Glavaski discloses a cooking apparatus and a method of supplying electrons (reducing electrons) to food that is contained in the vessel or that is in contact with the grill.
In an embodiment disclosed by Simic-Glavaski, respective electrodes are placed in a cooking medium, such as oil, water or the like, and electric potential and electric current are provided thereby to food. It would be desirable to integrate the electron source into a food treating apparatus, such as a cooking apparatus such as a pot, a grill, a fryer (shallow, deep or any other type) or the like. In the embodiment disclosed by Simic-Glavaski, the electrons are provided from a relatively localized source. It would be advantageous to increase the area over which the electrons are provided in the food treating apparatus. By increasing the area over which the electrons are supplied, more electrons are provided over a larger portion of the food product.
Therefore, there is a strong need in the art to improve the distribution of electrons into a food product in a food cooking, cooling, storing or the like apparatus and process. There also is a need to enhance the countering of the carcinogenic effect that occurs during a food treating process, such as, for example, cooking, cooling, storing, serving, etc. Further, there is a need to inhibit and/or reduce the formation of harmful substances, e.g., acrylamide, during the food treating process.
As used herein the term “food treating” is broadly understood to mean cooking, cooling, storing, serving, or the like, as are further described below.